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Since 2001 Powerboating in Sarasota on New Years Day has been something to do thanks to Offshore Powerboat Racer Ryan Beckley and a big group of his friends. Following the loss of our dear friend Joey Gratton in 2011 the 2012 run was renamed to the Joey Gratton Memorial Run and the numbers continue to grow and grow making this a very large powerboating event that has become the thing to do for so many of us on new years.

This year 82 boats were at the run and it was a great time. Really fun with no stress, no hassles, no great expense and no whining. For many the run was more than just one day of boating it was many days of boating leading up to New Years Day and after. Boaters came in days ahead of New Years to spend quality time running the waters around Sarasota leading up to the New Years day run and then the day after to participate in the Fort Myers Boat Club Run a few miles to the south.

I have been on this run since 2006 with and without the PBN CIGARETTE. This year Chris Ryder along with Angela Marie were kind enough to let me ride along in Chris’s 36 SKATER which gave us a great ride up front of the pack of boats

Powerboat Nation OG’s Joseph Celello with Amy Lee, Brian Manning with Angela Odom Higgs, and many more of our loyal and authentic powerboating friends were on the water together to kick off what is going to be a great 2016…

CLICK HERE TO SEE the PBN Pictures!

Check out more pictures in the forums: CLICK HERE TO SEE Shoot2thrill’s pictures, CLICK HERE TO SEE Freeze Frame’s pictures and CLICK HERE TO SEE Adventure In Boating’s pictures.

It sure doesn’t feel like five years has past since we lost Joey… but sadly it has been and once again on New Years Day we will gather in Sarasota for the now 5th Annual Joey Gratton Memorial Run.

Offshore Powerboater/Racer Ryan Beckley along with Billy Glueck, Gary Jones, Brett Lee Furshman and many other friends from Sarasota, Florida had been doing this run for along time before 2011 and always bring a great time to kick off the new year.

Detailed information is found on the events Facebook Page Joey Gratton Memorial, New Years Day, Fun Run. and proceeds from the event go to benefit the Joey Gratton Foundation

I have been doing this run for about eight years and it has always been a great way to bring in the New Year. In the past Powerboaters from all over the world have been coming to Sarasota for this great event and each year it continues to grow and grow.

We all miss Joey very much and taking the time to gather and remember him and how he brought life to our lives is itself a tremendous New Year Gift for each and everyone of us.

Previous Event Coverage: 2015 2014 2013

2015 is going to be a great powerboating year for all of us. To get things going PowerBoat Nation once again returns to Sarasota for the Joey Gratton Memorial, New Years Day, Fun Run. This great event has always had a great turn out and is a fantastic way to begin the New Year. On New Years Day, the run starts at noon from the 10th Street Boat ramp, on 41, in Sarasota (Where the races are) Up Sarasota Bay, through Cortez and out into Tampa Bay. They then turn east and head into Manatee River, to Tarpon Pointe Grill. The run is about 26 mile each way. Of course the Big New Years Eve Party Hosted by Twisted Metal / Black Pearl crew at the Man Cave located right behind the old DONZI factory. Everyone is welcome to all the events, all for fun, no registration, no fees, no cards, just a fun time to remember our lost friends. It’s been a tough year for our sport so lets think of them and start the new year off they way they would have. In addition there will be a fun run on New Yeas Eve day.

The main part of this run is to remember “The Man” Joey Gratton and support the Joey Gratton Foundation

A big thanks goes out to Ryan Beckley for continuing to work hard to organize this great time and of course Billy Glueck, Brett Furshman, Gary Jones, and all the other hard working individuals who put this great weekend together for us to enjoy.

We will see you at the party!

2013 Began in a familiar way. A wonderful group of like minded powerboaters gathered at the 10th street boat ramp in Sarasota to participate in a Powerboating fun run that began over 10 years ago. Coordinated and supported by Ryan Beckley, owner of Kinetic Animation and a long time Offshore Powerboat racer, this event is now something we never want to miss and if you are a powerboating enthusiast who lives within striking distance you shouldn’t miss it.

Since 2012 this Sarasota Fun Run is now known at the Joey Gratton Memorial New Years Day Fun Run, to not only remember “The Man” but to raise money for the Joey Gratton Foundation.

www.JoeyGratton.com

The mission of the foundation is to help provide the opportunity and the means by which children can actively participate in an organized sport that values personal integrity, team and leadership skills, in a fun and healthy learning environment. This is accomplished through donations of equipment and scholarships.

With just over 60 boats and one float plane in attendance, people came from all over the world to participate this year. Boaters from as far away as United Arab Emirates, and Seattle, Washington came to Sarasota to celebrate the life of Joey and raise awareness and money for his foundation.
The event was truly for enthusiasts, powerboats of just about every type lined up for the departure. Flats boats, small to large center consoles, party barges, real race boats, and a large selection of performance powerboats.

The crew on hand to support Powerboat Nation was lucky enough to be invited to Offshore Racer Billy Glueck’s shop for an outrageous New Years Eve Toga Party, complete with roasted pig, party beverages and interesting video show brought by David Branch and his entourage.

I am now committed to spending all of my foreseeable New Years Days in Sarasota. A grass roots fun run that brings a really cool group of people together to bring in each New Year and now to remember and celebrate the life of our lost Friend and Offshore Racer Joey “The Man” Gratton. Special thanks to the Powerboat Nation Crew, who made it all possible to attend this year. Jason Ventura, Celeste Segredo, Greg Harris, Yvonne Aleman, and Travis Loftland. Brand X Hi-Performance Marine and Native Engines!

For the 10th year in a row I have gone to Sarasota to go powerboating on New Years Day, now know as the Joey Gratton Memorial Fun Run organized by Ryan Beckley.

This year I was lucky to have been able to trailer over a 2012 44 Skater with 1350 Mercury Racing power thanks to my great friend Chris Bradley.  With the Powerboat Nation Cigarette still in rehab following Key West the opportunity to run a beautiful turn key, big power Skater was a nice change.

The event proved once again the great camaraderie of our community, with powerboats coming from all over the country to participate in the run. I was lucky to have a great crew with Mark and Kim Niemann along with some of their friends to help out on board the big Skater.

The entire Gratton family was at the event and it was wonderful to spend a little time with this great family.  I know Joey is super proud of his sons Blake and Brock and you can really see and feel the measure of the truly great man through his sons.

2017 is going to be a great powerboating year and there is no better way by a long shot than starting the year off at the Joey Gratton Memorial Run.

I extend a huuuge thank you to Ryan Beckley and everyone else involved in continuing to bring us all together every new year.

BTW:  The SKATER is FOR SALE

Check out all the photos here!

Once again Powerboat Nation will be welcoming in the new year with our great boating friends on the west Coast of Florida at the 2017 Joey Gratton New Years Day Fun Run.  This event has become institutionalized and every year since 2006 we have participated.  After the tragic loss of Joey in 2011 the run was branded with his name to honor his spirit and bring awareness as well as money to the Joey Gratton Foundation.

This run continues to grow in size and now brings boats in from all over the country.  Event organizer Ryan Beckley, who is a long time offshore powerboat championship racer, is expecting a record turn out.

The run starts at noon on Sunday, January 1st, from the 10th street boat ramp in Sarasota.

CLICK HERE TO SEE PREVIOUS YEARS ACTION

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This last weekend the time between Christmas and New Years was not idly spent for the members of the Fort Myers Offshore Club. Club President Bob Barnhart reported to us that 40 boats with about 150 members ran the 45 mile stretch from Sanibel to Marco Island where they all gathered at CJ’s on the Bay.

Bob told us this was the first year they have had the run on this weekend and it is now known as the Holiday run. Previously the club held their run on New Year’s Day and in a harmonious effort to not conflict with the Joey Gratton Memorial run they moved the date up and as a result had a record number of participants.

Many of the fleet of 40 was center consoles and the club welcomed new members and now has a record 72 active boaters in the membership. The Fort Myers Offshore Club is a registered 501 (c) 3 not for profit that originated as a small group of enthusiasts in 2005. In 2007 following a fatal boating accident the membership raised over $30,000.00 to benefit a young girl who survived the crash. Following the success of this effort they officially established themselves as a non for profit in 2008 and have since raised thousands of dollars providing educational scholarships and support.

The events big winner was Josh Brousseau from Ontario, who won the $830 dollar split with the other half going to the charity fund. While this event was not an official fundraiser for the club they did raise a few thousand dollars from the registration fees and from donations. All of these funds will go to the club’s scholarship fund.

The next club event will be the first weekend of February in Sarasota where they will meet up with Ryan Beckley’s group and run around to Tarpon Point.

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Photos courtesy of Jay Nichols of Naples Image.

We’re entering into the holiday season and that means it’s time to start thinking about what’s coming in the next few months leading into the start of the new year. With winter creeping upon us, powerboaters are either beginning to or already have winterized their boats in preparation for the freezing temperatures and harsh storms. Those that have the luxury of being in a fairly warm climate are still feeling the impact as there are fewer boating events happening around the country and with less people in attendance in general. However, those that are still out there come rain or shine, or snow and a lot worse have a few annual events to look forward to like the Boating Toys for Tots Tour hosted by the U.S. Marines in  Florida. This tour is a great way for the powerboating community to give back and help children in need have the holiday season they deserve.

We also have the annual New Years Day adventure to Sarasota for the Joey Gratton Memorial fun run that is a must attend for Powerboat Nation and our loyal followers.

As with any holiday we also have the introduction of new products by various companies, and if not an actual product release then the preview for what to expect in the coming months to build anticipation. In particular, the team at Hardin Marine has alluded to more than just one game changing product release expected to debut in spring at the Miami International Boat Show. So grab your stocking stuffers today but keep an eye out for what’s coming.

We’re always happy to see boaters brave the weather, or if you’re in say Miami, enjoy the great weather as usual; and we wish everyone a great holiday season and can’t wait to see you out on the water the next chance we get!

If your boating event life is like mine then you are likely to have lots of pictures of your boat. Digital copies that fill up external hard drives and printed copies that load up file boxes. To many pictures to see, use , give away or post up anywhere. But sometimes a special picture means something and if that special picture can have a special treatment is makes it worth so much more than all those other pictures stuffed in a file box

When I ran into Pete Boden of Shoot 2 Thrill photography at the Joey Gratton Memorial New Years Day Run, he asked me to deliver some pictures to Jason Ventura of BrandX. One photo of Jason’s CIGARETTE Gladiator and one Bill Pyburn Jr’s, former, 388 SKATER Pure Platinum. I told Pete no problem I would grab them up, and then Pete cautioned me that these were special pictures, they had to be handled carefully and couldn’t be bent or scratched. I disregarded it all thinking these are just pictures and then I saw them.

A special application of the digital image on aluminum or acrylic. To start with, these are great photo images and with this special application it really makes them something special.

The photos here really don’t do come even close to showing what they look like live, so take my word for it. Call or message Pete at Shoot 2 Thrill and get your boat done like this. Pete told me that while he prefers to use his images he will use a high quality image provided to him from the boat owner.

Here are some more examples of the work:

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